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Into the Future

Washington State Motto

Historic Seal of the Washington Territory image from page 14 of "Governors of Washington, Territorial and State" (1915). Photo by Internet Archive Book Images / Flickr (public domain image).

Unofficial State Motto of Washington

Washington's unofficial motto is "Alki" (or Al-ki), originally a native American word meaning "bye and bye" which evolved to mean "into the future" (Washington Legislature has not yet recognized an official state motto). All State Mottos

From Washington state Legislature: "Settlers from the schooner Exact named their settlement on Alki Point, New York. The new settlement was slower to grow than its East Coast counterpart, however, so the name was changed to New York-Alki, meaning "into the future" -- the 1850s version of the term "bye and bye" or, "I will see you, bye and bye."

The motto was originally used on the territorial seal which on one side pictures an anchor and the Goddess of Hope in the center pointing at the word "Alki" (the other side displays an immigrant wagon and a log cabin with a fir forest background).